OLDSrocket

What really is funny is that the tuner market isn't dying, those who came to the scene for the women/strippers, the F&F movie(s) (the first one did it, yeah I drank the Kool-Aid, and the 2nd one was aweful!!!!) the questionable car mods, free swag, video game promos other icky things and plus moving from its underground roots to pop culture as one REAL mover in the industry once quoted as saying that to paraphrase. A lot of people came to the scene for the glitz and glam but not the bare bones of it, tuning, the blood ,sweat, and tears . From the popularity of it all came the real "decline" of the scene when OEMs got involved and tried to sell slightly hopped up cars with mild horsepower and strange body kits to a generation who wants to look F&F showroom stock trailer queens with all show and no go who are just in there to look cool and play PS3s GTA or Grand Turismo. But with all of this bastardization of the scene, he said there are a few hardcore gearheads that were there from the start or just true to the culture that when this all dies away OEMs go the the next big thing and when it returns to its underground state like hotrodding is now and was decades ago it'll still thrive as long as they want to make more power, go faster and look cool driving it then , boff to the OEMs which always are the last to get on the bandwagon for ANYTHING, like the drunk dude at the party, when he shows up the party is over. So there isn't a shortage of tuners, just that many still want to make their own power and spend $30,000 and eat nothing but McDonalds for a couple of months than buy a SS CAVELIER! BUT THE NEON SRT-4 WAS THE SMARTEST THING TO COME OUT OF DETROIT FOR THE SPO-COM MARKET!!! but on the other hand the SPO_COM market has made a lot of $$$$ off of it to the private tuners who the OEMs come to spice up their small and mid-sizes, but as far as that this scene isn't going to die or retreat back to Asia, its going to go back underground or garage. If you really want to see real tuners go to a NHRA Import Drag and you'll find them the atmosphere is great and inviting like the drags of the early years up 'til the '90s. there are a lot of cars that bring back the old memories of when you went for the tire smoke and raw horsepower or too see cars that can run with the door slammers in the BIg Show with more power and faster with smaller engines. Where else can you find someone reacing a Ford Ranger with a Turbo six, squeezing that can run a 10? final note: WJ (Warren Johnson) the Godfather of Pro Stock, was in a booth with a well known import dragger, in the Hot Rod class, and the announcer with both of them commented on the similar speeds ran by the import, and told WJ what the driver's car turned and then asked WJ if he would race him heads up; WJ's response.....GOT UP AND LEFT THE ROOM!!! says a lot about NHRA and the future of drag racing in America.. note this the range of emotions I felt while writting this